Closure for cans and jars



Dec. 21, 1965 A. w. DIELMANN ETAL 3,224,627

CLOSURE FOR CANS AND JARS Filed March 16, 1962 INVENTOR.

1439 use h/- Dre/m an n United States Patent 3,224,627 CLGSURE FOR CANS AND JARS August W. Dielmann, Lubeck, and Curt E. Henze, Pinneberg, Holstein, Germany, assignors to Lubecawerlre G.m.b.l-ll., Lubecir, Germany Filed Mar. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 180,293 Claims priority, application Germany, Mar. 20, 1961, L 38,492 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-47) The present invention relates to cans which are primarily intended for preserving food and, more specifically, concern a tight closure between the lid of such cans and the can proper. In particular, the present invention concerns a closure arrangement according to which between the can and the lid there is arranged an elastic sealing ring which for purposes of opening the can is provided with one or more tongues adapted to be pulled out from a gap between lid and can.

While the invention will be described only in connection with a can, it is to be understood that the invention can in an analogous manner also be applied to jars.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved closure of the above mentioned type which while assuring a tight closing of the can will be extremely simple in application.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a closure as set forth in the preceding paragraph which can be opened with very little effort.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates in section a part of the upper portion of a closure arrangement according to the invention in not yet closed condition.

FIG. 2 is a section corresponding to that of FIG. 1 but showing the closure arrangement in closed condition.

FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively illustrate in cross section two ring profiles of a sealing ring to be used in connection with the closure arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate in section a further embodiment of the present invention which difiers from that of FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the elastic sealing ring is connected to the lid and is different in shape from the sealing rings illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The closure arrangement according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the sealing ring is non-detachably connected to a portion of the can, for instance to the rim of the open can body, or is connected to the lid for the can. The edge of the lid, is following the placement of the lid on the can, bent against the can to such an extent that it will hold the sealing ring in close engagement with the lid edge and the edge of the can body while a gap remains free between the lid edge and the edge of the can body from which tongue-like protrusions of the ring will extend for purposes of opening the can.

Due to the fact that the sealing ring is connected either with the can body or with the lid, and that the said body or lid, preferably with its correspondingly bent edge, engages the sealing ring, it will be obvious that during the closing operation only two parts have to be handled which moreover are already in a condition in which they are ready for the closing operation. This eliminates the heretofore necessary step of introducing the sealing ring into the gap between the can body and the lid as separate body. Instead, it is merely necessary to place the lid upon the edge of the can or jar body and to bend the lid edge toward the can body, which step can be carried out by a simple fianging operation with customary closing devices or machinery. By this folding of the lid edge,

ICC

the sealing ring is firmly pressed against the adjacent engaging surfaces of the lid and against the can. This pressing operation and the size of the engaging surfaces bring about a reliable sealing effect which permits a heating of the can in an overpressure-autoclave for purposes of sterilizing the contents of the can. Nevertheless, between the bent lid edge and the can body there will remain an annular gap from which protrudes a tongue or a plurality of tongues serving as means for pulling the ring out in order to open the can.

When the sealing ring is placed on the edge portion of the can body, it is advantageous in conformity with the present invention to provide a recess in the ring which recess can be engaged by the bent-over edge of the can body. This recess may be in the form of a slit engaged by the bent-over can edge portion in such a way that a portion of the sealing ring will be located between said edge portion and the throat of the lid edge. The other portion of the sealing ring serves likewise for sealing purposes and also for locking the lid relative to the can body. In order to obtain a firm connection of the sealing ring to the can the can rim may be provided with a hook-shaped bend causing it to engage the body of or a slit in .the sealing ring or causing it to embrace an edge or a rib of the ring.

For purposes of connecting the sealing ring to the edge portion of the lid, the lid edge may be provided with a hook-shaped bend by means of which it engages the body or a slit of the profile of the sealing ring or by means of which it embraces an edge or rib of the ring.

With closure arrangements of the invention according to which the rim portions of the can and the lid directly engage each other, an additional seal known per se of suitable elastic material may be provided in the throat of the lid.

The opening of the can is in conformity with the present invention facilitated by the fact that the rim of the can or the lid engages the sealing ring at such a depth that two ring sections will be formed which are interconnected by a web and which are separated rim each other along said web when opening the can. The thus obtained separation gap will free that portion of the ring which when opening the can is with the tonguelike protrusions pulled out of the gap between lid and can rim.

Referring now tothe drawings in detail, and FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof in particular, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a portion of a can body 1 and of a lid 2 therefor. The rim or edge portion 3 of the can body is bent outwardly and carries a sealing ring 4. Sealing ring 4 is made of elastic material, for instance rubber of approximately degrees Shore.

The rim portion 3 of the can 1 has its outer leg 3a bent into a hook by means of which it enters the sealing ring 4 of originally circular cross section. Due to the engagement of said hook-shaped portion 3a with ring 4, the latter is sub-divided into a smaller portion 5 and a larger portion or head 6. Both portions are interconnected by a web 6a. By means of the smaller portion 5, ring 4 is firmly clamped into the rim portion of the can 1. Within the range of contact of lid 2 with can rim portion 3 the lid carries a sealing insert 2a. When closing the can, the outer leg 7 is bent into the shape illustrated in FIG. 2 and thereby firmly and tightly presses ring 4 against the rim portion of can 1 while elastically compressing rand deforming said ring 4.

As will be evident from FIG. 2 between the edge of the folded-over leg 7 of the marginal lid portion and the can body there will remain a gap through which extends a tongue 8 and through whioh, for purposes of opening the can, the ring can be pulled out of its closure position by pulling on tongue 8. During the opening operation, either the entire ring 4 may be removed or only the bead portion 6 may be torn off the ring along web 6a and be pulled out while the other portion with part may remain clamped in, depending on the design of the cross section of the sealing ring. Two suitable ring profiles are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively. According to FIG. 3, the sealing ring 4 is provided with a rib 9 which is to be embraced by the bent-over leg 3a of the rim portion of the can. According to FIG. 4, the ring 4a is provided with a groove 10 to be engaged by leg 3a. In both instances, leg 3:: may, after proper engagement with the ring, be bent into its hook-shaped form.

With the embodiment according to FIGS. 5 and 6, the elastic sealing ring is connected to the loose lid. The outer leg 12 of the lid edge portion 11 is rolled into thook shape and into the compact sealing ring 13 so that it will hold clamped in a portion 14 of the ring 13. The original profile of ring 13 may be rectangular or square. Such a profile has the advantage that the rings can be produced in a simple manner by cutting corresponding sections off from a correspondingly profile tube, while simultaneously also the tongue 15 can be produced. The conical shape of the bottom surface 16 of the ring will, when placing the lid upon the can, in cooperation with the folded-over rim portion 17 of the can act in a centering manner and will thus facilitate the initial phase of the closing operation. This operation consists in pressing the edge portion 11 of the lid toward the can whereby ring 13 will be elastically compressed and will be firmly and tightly pressed against the rim portion of the can as will be evident from FIG. 6. It is to be understood that also in this instance a sealing insert, viz. insert 11a may be provided at lid portion 11 to prevent metallic contact between lid portion 11 and can rim portion 17. When the ring 13 is pulled out by means of tongue 15 for opening the can, ring 13 may be torn along the narrow web portion 18, or this part may likewise be pulled out.

The closure according to the invention is not limited to cans or jars of circular cross section but may also be applied to cans or jars of any desired cross section as for instance oval cross section, polygonal cnoss section or the like.

The application of the closure according to the invention is possible with customary closing machines and can thus be carried out without any difficulties when the cans or jars have been filled in a food plant.

As will be evident from the above, the present invention makes it possible in numerous instances in which heretofore it was necessary to employ cans with foldedon bottom, to employ the considerably less expensive drawn cans in which the bottom of the can consists of one piece with the remainder thereof. For insertion of the sealing ring between can and lid, heretofore aseparate device was necessary which in the filling department of a food plant was continuously soiled by the excessive material which was squeezed out of the can when the lid was placed thereon so that it could not always work with the required necessary precision. It is for this reason that heretofore the lid with the sealing ring adapted to be pulled out from the closed can was mounted on the can, which was open at both ends, during the manufacture of the can, and the can was then filled from the bottom side and was closed on said bottom side by folding a customary lid. This awkward operation and drawback will be completely avoided by the closure arrangement according to the present invention as described above so tha, as mentioned above, the invention makes it possible to employ the above referred to less expensive cans with drawn bottom and to fill the cans from the top.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular constructions shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What We claim is:

1. A closure arrangement for food preserving containers, especially cans and jars, which comprises: a first member forming a container open at one end thereof, a second member forming a closure member closing said open end, and an elastic sealing ring engaged by both said first member and said second member, said second member having its marginal portion extend over at least a section of the adjacent marginal portion of said first member and while being in tight sealing engagement with said sealing ring extending around the latter so as to leave an annular gap between the marginal portion of said second member and the adjacent portion of said first member, said sealing ring being provided with tongue means extending outwardly through said gap, the outer marginal portion of one of said members being folded inwardly so as to form an annular though with one side wall thereof in engagement with the peripheral surface of said sealing ring and with the other side of said trough at least partially embedded in said elastic sealing ring so that opposite sides of said one side wall are firmly engaged by portions of said sealing ring thereby making it possible fixedly to connect said sealing ring to said one of said members prior to closing said open end.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which the marginal portion of said container adjacent said open end thereof is folded inwardly to form said annular trough to thereby permit firm connection of said sealing ring to said container prior to closing said open end thereof by said closure member.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which the marginal portion of said closure member is folded inwardly to form said annular trough thereby making it possible firmly to connect said sealing ring to said closure member prior to closing said open end of said container by said closure member.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, in which the cross section of said sealing ring after full assembly and connection of said first and second members to each other is substantially pear-shaped.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,800,791 4/ 1931 Gunter 22047 2,186,529 1/1940 Jones 220-66 3,072,285 1/1963 Aileo 220-46 3,095,994 6/1963 Bush 22046 3,098,581 7/1963 Marsilio 220-46 FOREIGN PATENTS 85,662 7/ 1957 Netherlands.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. EARLE J. DRUMMOND, Examiner. 

1. A CLOSURE ARRANGEMENT FOR FOOD PRESERVING CONTAINERS, ESPECIALLY CANS AND JARS, WHICH COMPRISES: A FIRST MEMBER FORMING A CONTAINER OPEN AT ONE END THEREOF, A SECOND MEMBER FORMING A CLOSURE MEMBER CLOSING SAID OPEN END, AND AN ELASTIC SEALING RING ENGAGED BY BOTH SAID FIRST MEMBER AND SAID SECOND MEMBER, SAID SECOND MEMBER HAVING ITS MARGINAL PORTION EXTEND OVER AT LEAST A SECTION OF THE ADJACENT MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER AND WHILE BEING IN TIGHT SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEALING RING EXTENDING AROUND THE LATTER SO AS TO LEAVE AN ANNULAR GAP BETWEEN THE MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID SECOND MEMBER AND THE ADJACENT PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER, SAID SEALING RING BEING PROVIDED WITH TONGUE MEANS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID GAP, THE OUTER MARGINAL PORTION OF ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING FOLDED INWARDLY SO AS TO FORM AN ANNULAR TROUGH WITH ONE SIDE WALL THEREOF IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID SEALING RING AND WITH THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID TROUGH AT LEAST PARTIALLY EMBEDDED IN SAID ELASTIC SEALING RING SO THAT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ONE SIDE WALL ARE FIRMLY ENGAGED BY PORTIONS OF SAID SEALING RING THEREBY MAKING IT POSSIBLE FIXEDLY TO CONNECT SAID SEALING RING TO SAID ONE OF SAID MEMBERS PRIOR TO CLOSING SAID OPEN END. 